Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 10, 2026
07:09
Fabrication of Soft Pneumatic Network Actuators with Oblique Chambers
Published on: August 17, 2018
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Dual-Chamber One-Step Molding Actuator with Straight-Curved Crease Prismatic Design for Large-Range Motions and
Qinlin Tan1, Yanlin Chen2, Meng Zhou1
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|November 20, 2025
Summary
A novel dual-chamber soft actuator achieves large-range motion and enhanced stability using origami-inspired creases. This design enables multidimensional movements for practical soft robotics applications.
Area of Science:
- Soft robotics
- Materials science
- Mechanical engineering
Background:
- Soft actuators are crucial for adaptable robotics but often lack simultaneous large motion range and structural stability.
- Pneumatically actuated soft devices face challenges in achieving both high deformability and robustness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel soft actuator design addressing the limitations of existing pneumatic actuators.
- To enable multidimensional motions, including large elongation/contraction and bending, with improved structural integrity.
Main Methods:
- Development of a dual-chamber straight-curved crease origami prismatic (SCOP) actuator.
- Fabrication via one-step molding using a single material.
- Systematic analysis of principles, modeling, and design.
Main Results:
- The SCOP actuator demonstrated axial displacement up to 106.7% (51.1% elongation, 55.6% contraction).
- Achieved over 160° bidirectional bending with a 209% increase in structural stability compared to curve crease bellows.
- Validated through integration into a wearable assistive device, soft gripper, and crawling robot.
Conclusions:
- The SCOP actuator offers a high-performance, practical solution for soft robotics.
- The design provides large-range, multidirectional motions with enhanced strength and reliability.
- Origami-inspired anisotropic stiffness is key to achieving desired actuator performance.
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